Vinyl pressings
by Thin Lizzy · 1980
Chinatown was first pressed on vinyl in 1980. Every vinyl pressing is listed below with its label, catalog number and runout codes, so you can tell an original from a reissue.
26 pressings came out in 1980, the album's first year, in 19 countries. Compare the label and catalog number on your copy, then the codes etched or stamped in the runout groove (the dead wax around the label): they are the surest sign of an early pressing.
6359030 1Y // 4 ∇ E TH 1 2 24 TOWNHOUSERunout side A variant 1
6359030 2Y // 1 ∇ E TH 1 1 1 3 TOWNHOUSERunout side B variant 1
6359030 1Y // 4 ∇ E TH 1 2 5 2 TOWNHOUSERunout side A variant 2
6359030 2Y // 1 ∇ E TH 1 1 1 2 TOWNHOUSERunout side B variant 2
6359030 1Y // 4 E TH TOWNHOUSERunout side A, stamped, variant 1
6359030 2Y // 1 E TH TOWNHOUSERunout side B, stamped, variant 1
6359030 1Y // 4 ∇ E TH 1 2 5 2 TOWNHOUSERunout side A, stamped, variant 2
6359030 2Y // 1 ∇ E TH 1 1 1 2 TOWNHOUSERunout side B, stamped, variant 2
BSK-1-3496-JW1 #1 0Side A runout, variant 1
BSK-1-3496-JW1 #3 0Side B runout, variant 1
BSK-1-3496-JW1 #1 0Side A runout, variant 2
BSK-2-3496-JW1 #2 0Side B runout, variant 2
BSK-1-3496-WW3 #2Side A
BSK-2-3496-WW1 #4Side B
BSK-1-349#6-JW1 #2 ─◁ 0Side 1, variant 2
BSK-2-3496-WW1 #3 ─◁Side 2, variant 2
BSK-1-3496-LW2 ✲✲Side A, etched except ✲✲ stamped
BSK-2-3496-LW1 ✲✲Side B, etched except ✲✲ stamped
Not sure how to read the runout? See matrix numbers, runout and dead wax and how to tell a first pressing.
By decade, oldest first. Open a pressing for its full label, barcode and runout details.
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Austria | Vertigo 6359 030First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1980 | Canada | Mercury SRM-1-3858First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1980 | France | Vertigo 6359 030First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1980 | Greece | Vertigo 6359 030First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1980 | India | Vertigo 6359 030First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1980 | Ireland | Philips 6359 030First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1980 | Israel | Vertigo 6359 030First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1980 | Italy | Vertigo 6359 030First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1980 | Japan | Vertigo RJ-7685First yearLP, Album, Promo · Promo | LP, Album, Promo · Promo |
| 1980 | Netherlands | Vertigo 6359 030First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1980 | Netherlands | Vertigo 6359 030First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1980 | New Zealand | Vertigo 6359 030First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1980 | Scandinavia | Vertigo 6359 030First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1980 | Singapore, Malaysia & Hong Kong | Vertigo 6359 030First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1980 | South Africa | Vertigo STAR 5141First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Spain | Vertigo 424 632-1 / Vertigo 830 393-1LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo | LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo |
| 1990 | Spain | Vertigo 830 393-1LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| 1991 | Spain | Vertigo 830 393-1LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | UK | Back On Black RCV036LPLP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Remastered · Limited, Colored vinyl | LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Remastered · Limited, Colored vinyl |
| 2011 | UK | Back On Black RCV036LPLP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Remastered · Limited | LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Remastered · Limited |
| 2014 | US | Friday Music FRM-3496LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered | LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered |
| 2014 | UK & Europe | Vertigo 5354254 / Universal 0600753542545LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Europe | Vertigo 0802641LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| 2020 | UK | Vertigo 0823373 / Mercury 0823373LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered, Stereo, LP, Album, Stereo, All Media, Record Store Day | LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered, Stereo, LP, Album, Stereo, All Media, Record Store Day |
| 2025 | US | Friday Music FRM-03496LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered · Colored vinyl | LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered · Colored vinyl |
45 vinyl pressings of Chinatown are listed here, from 23 countries, released between 1980 and 2025.
The earliest pressings are from 1980, in UK, US, Germany, Japan and more. One of them is Vertigo 6359 030.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use 6359 030, BSK 3496, RJ-7685, SRM-1-3858) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, 6359030 1Y // 4 ∇ E TH 1 2 24 TOWNHOUSE and 6359030 2Y // 1 ∇ E TH 1 1 1 3 TOWNHOUSE. Later reissues often keep the catalog number but change the label design or the runout codes.
It depends on which pressing you have and on the condition of the record and its sleeve. Early pressings from the album's home country in near mint condition are usually worth the most; common later reissues are worth far less. Scan your copy with VinylLens to see its value for every grade.
